Deco shares congratulatory 2-word message for ex-Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi after he wins MARCA award

Barcelona sporting director Deco commented on Lionel Messi's Instagram post congratulating him for winning the MARCA America award. The Spanish publication honored Messi as the greatest footballer of all time with the award on October 17 at the Chase Stadium in Miami.

Messi's equation with Deco goes back to his early days at Barcelona, when the duo played together between 2004 and 2008. The two shared the pitch 79 times at the club, recording nine joint-goal contributions. In 2008, Deco left the Camp Nou to join Chelsea. He became the sporting director of Barcelona in 2023, two years after Messi left the club in 2021.

Taking to Instagram, Deco left a comment on Lionel Messi's post where he shared snaps from the MARCA America Award ceremony.

Deco wrote (translation via Google Translate):

"Grande Leo👏👏👏👏👏👏 (Great Leo)"

Deco's comment on Messi's post (Image via Instagram/@leomessi)

MARCA honored Lionel Messi with the prestigious award after the Argentine superstar won his record-extending 46th trophy with the Supporters' Shield. On October 2, Messi led Inter Miami to the shield for the first time in history after a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew. The legendary forward scored a brace in the game.

Apart from his 46 trophies, Messi has won multiple individual accolades, including a record eight Ballons d'Or and a record six European Golden Shoes. He also won three FIFA The Best awards and is the only player to have won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball twice in 2014 and 2022.

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"He has not been lucky enough" - When Deco pointed out key difference between the rise of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal at Barcelona

Deco (L) and Lionel Messi

In a recent interview with SPORT, Barcelona sporting director Deco made an interesting claim about the rise of Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi at the club. At the young age of 17, Yamal has often been compared to Messi due to his immaculate ball control and dribbling style.

Speaking about the Yamal-Messi comparisons, Deco said (via Barca Universal):

"He [Yamal] has not been lucky enough to grow up in a team that was winning like Messi, but he is being part of a renewal process."

Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona in 2004 at the age of 17 in a LaLiga fixture against Espanyol. The legendary Argentine came in as a substitute for Deco in the 82nd minute. La Blaugrana won the game 1-0.

During his debut, Barcelona's squad featured multiple iconic players, including Ronaldinho, Xavi, Samuel Eto'o, Andres Iniesta, and Deco. The team was also dominating LaLiga, so the pressure of performing was not entirely on Messi during his early years. La Blaugrana won LaLiga in the Argentine's first two seasons, alongside the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League.

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal's debut came during Barca's 4-0 win over Real Betis in LaLiga under coach Xavi in April 2023. Although they won the league title in Yamal's 2022-23 debut season, their previous season went trophyless.

The Catalan giants' current side can be compared to the squad back in 2004 during Messi's debut. The current team primarily comprises academy graduates who lack experience and is yet to return to their past glory days. Therefore, Deco's observations about Yamal and Messi's rise at Barca may have some basis.